Between American, Spanish and French couples, who spends the most time together? With their children? Without them? The amount of time spent with one’s partner is a well-accepted indicator of marital wellbeing, but finding the time can become challenging with children.

Divorce rates in Western countries have been increasing in recent decades and more children are also born to parents who never cohabitate.  As a result, more and more children are living in joint or sole physical custody.  Existing research has suggested some of the negative effects of parental separation on child-wellbeing, such as an increased risk of social maladjustment and poor health. However, very little research has explored the influence of parental ill health and well-being on children’s mental health as a result of differing family structures.

When tackling risky behaviour of adolescents, are mothers and fathers equally capable of influencing their child? While the literature has pointed to a mitigating effect of parental supervision on adolescent risky behaviour, studies thus far did not differentiate between fathers and mothers.